This invention relates to portable seats and particularly seats adapted for use on invalid supporting devices.
Various portable supporting frames are known which enable or assist handicapped, invalid, or infirm persons to walk. These frames or "walkers" assist a person who has difficulty in walking to keep his balance and they also enable part of the invalid's weight to be supported by his arms.
The more common of invalid support frames are basically the same in their operation and construction although there are minor differences in configuration and in their dimension. Common walkers consist of a multi-legged lightweight rigid frame that supports two handles at about waist level. The invalid operates the device by grasping the two handles, lifting and moving it forward, and then holding onto it for balance and support while he steps into the cavity. He repeats these motions to proceed. Recently developed walkers can be folded into a relatively compact form when not in use. Folding walkers are particularly advantageous from several standpoints. They require less room when being shipped to stores or customers and less space is required to store them either in the home or in the store. They are also much more portable when travelling on public transit vehicles or in private cars.
Another recent and important development in invalid support frames has been the use of semi-flexible or "swinging walkers". These walkers are constructed with hinged joints at the corners where the two, spaced apart side frames meet the connecting front frame members. When these walkers are used by an invalid, two feet of the walker can be maintained on the ground at all times and permit the user the option to lift less weight. Also it is known to provide a walker that is both foldable and swinging.
It is also known to provide walkers with a temporary seating arrangement so that if a user should become tired he will have a seat readily available. It will be appreciated that many invalid persons become tired quite easily and it is important that such persons not overexert themselves.
One such seating arrangement is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,993,349 dated Nov. 23, 1976 and issued to Neufeld et al. In the walker of this patent, the temporary seat is constructed from a sling of canvas or other flexible material. The seat which is quite narrow has a loop formed at each end so that each end can be supported by a T-shaped bar. The upper end of each T-shaped bar is bent so that the bar can engage in a specially designed metal block. The construction taught by the patent requires specialized metal parts which increase the cost of the seat arrangement. In addition carrying the seat on the person when not in use would be cumbersome since the metal T-shaped members can not be folded. Also, the seat taught by this patent distributes the weight of the invalid over a relatively small area of the body which could cause discomfort. Furthermore the seat arrangement is such that a weak and disabled person might feel insecure in the seat and he might in fact easily slip out of the sling and injure himself.
More recent U.S. Pat. No. 4,162,101 dated July 24, 1979 issued to McCague Sr. and Elinore M. McCague teaches the use of a seat in the cavity formed by a walker. The seat is designed to automatically swing up and out of the way when seating is not desired. The seat of this U.S. patent requires a number of specialized mechanical parts which would make it relatively costly. The seat is also heavier and more cumbersome for an invalid to transport than the seat proposed by the present invention.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an invalid seat which can be used on known walkers and which is inexpensive and highly portable.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an invalid seat which will provide a comfortable and secure seat for the user and which also can be folded up into a compact configuration when not being used.
It is another object of the invention to provide an inexpensive invalid seat that can be mounted on a support apparatus in such a manner that its height above the ground is readily adjustable.